Monday, October 5, 2009

RVP at the beach






Hi everybody, we took the Resident Volunteer Program right to the beach. It was such a nice activity! We will have a very similar tour on November 17th. Everyone is invited! 


Friday, September 25, 2009

Lights, Stage, Action!

Caroline Kennedy, a director from the Little Theatre Group, works with English teachers Ingrid García and Gina Zumbado as they perform a scene from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at our Reader's Theatre Workshop for Educators and Volunteers, Sept. 22nd at Casa Presidencial. Participants learned creative ways to help English-language learners gain confidence and have fun. Write volunteer@casapres.go.cr for more information or for materials.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Photo session in Santo Domingo

Yesterday´s session in Santo Domingo was a huge success!
Pictures really got partners talking!
There were photos of birthday celebrations (kids and adults), christenings, field trips, parties, beach vacations, sunsets, baby pictures; it was great!
We really enjoyed sharing, and what do you know, even common acquaintances were found in pictures belonging to different people!
Let´s do it again soon.

By the way, my wife and I were able to visit James Overtstreet last night; we are happy to say he is doing much better and will be back at the sessions next week.

Alvaro Zamora

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Question, Past Tense, Auxiliary - Help...

In a Past Tense question, we use the auxiliary 'did' & the base form of the verb, e.g. "What did he practise yesterday?" We don't say, "What practised he yesterday?"

So why isn't 'did' used in Past Tense sentences such as: "What happened yesterday?"

The only explanation I could think of to give was that perhaps eons ago, we might have said, "What did happen yesterday?" but we don't use this form now.

Any explanation, theories, conjectures?
Thanks,
Shirley

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Heredia Meeting


Thanks to all volunteers who attended our community meeting for Heredia, at the UNA, on July 28th. It was a great success, and six new groups were proposed. We are still looking for volunteers to get the groups started, so if you live in (or near) Heredia and might be able to help out, please check your weekly bulletin and/or contact me at volunteer@casapres.go.cr.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Multilingue is Making the News!

Sunday's edition of La Nacion (July 19th) had a full page (8A) on the Multilingue program. The articles quoted Katherine Stanley and several of our fellow Volunteers & Conversation Partners. We're on our way!
Cheers,
Shirley (Cariari Group)

Thursday, June 25, 2009

What's New on this Blog!

Hello all!
Please scroll down to see a couple photos from our conversation groups in San Pedro (San José) and Cañas (Guanacaste), as well as a short article about our program in the official Casa Presidencial bulletin. At the very bottom of the page, you'll find links to lots of new materials, including the great presentations that the Cultural Center Master Teachers created for our orientation sessions last month, as well as a contact sheet and tracking sheet for you to use at your conversation groups. I am working to find a way to make the download process simpler. Please let me know what you think of the materials!
Have a great weekend, everyone.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Thank you, Katherine and Lucy

Thanks again for the excellent job. It makes me feel like part of something special and exciting when I see the professionalism, the great work and effort that you have put into the project. I enjoyed the Palmares session very much.

A suggestion for a topic: Pets. Stories about them, experiences with them, cultural differences with pets in U.S. and C.R. When I first came to Costa Rica I brought an elderly cat with me. Seeing the reaction of my landlady and her family, and my maid's fear of the cat, made me realize that there was a cultural difference here. My cat and I learned a lot of spanish together when we first moved here. I have a young cat now that my maid just loves. I'm sure Costa Ricans would have many tales (tails?) to tell of their pets.

Regards,
Loyd

Friday, May 29, 2009

Hello

Dear CR Volunteers,

Hi, I am first time blogger, so maybe you can all educate me about the process. I do have a degree in investigative news reporting and have written over 500 articles, some published nationally in the U.S. I even won the Rolling Stone Magazine College Journalism award for Investigative News Reporting in 1975. I live here permanently in Costa Rica, my wife is from Guanacaste and we have two children. I am a semi-retired private investigator and still have an office in San Francisco, California. Enough about me, I want to hear about you and your lives here in Costa Rica.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to the support page for volunteers in Costa Rica Multilingüe's Resident Volunteer Program. On the right, you will find suggested weekly topics; questions to get you and your partner talking; and "above and beyond" activities in case you need more fuel for the fire. If you scroll all the way down to the "Volunteer Development" section, you will find general materials and information - that's where we'll be posting info and links from the orientation sessions to be held tomorrow and Saturday (the 29th and 30th) at the Centro Cultural. And in this left-hand column, you'll see posts and responses from volunteers. We will continually add more ideas, links and materials to this page, and encourage you to post questions, suggestions, or comments in this discussion forum as well.

Article in Weekly Bulletin of Casa Presidencial

Article in Weekly Bulletin of Casa Presidencial
We're making news!